This invention relates generally to physical training aids, and more particularly to an electronic physical trainer system which produces periodic tone signals at an adjustable rate to establish an exercise rhythm and which senses the calisthenic activity of a performer in response to these signals to evaluate and improve his performance.
The distinction between exercise and physical education or training is that exercise acts to enhance muscle tone and to cause the blood to circulate more efficiently so that waste matter from the tissues can be eliminated more effectively and the tissues can better repair themselves, whereas physical training involves some form of calisthenic activity carried out in a rhythmic pattern so that the beneficial effects of muscular exertion are accompanied by improved body coordination and physical grace.
Lack of exercise leads to flabbisness and even maldevelopment of muscle and bone. In the United States, the opportunity to exercise the muscles in day-to-day living has become so limited among large sections of the population that there is a growing concern with the problem of obesity and ailments resulting from overweight.
One popular exercise in physical training is jumping jacks, a conditioning exercise performed from a standing position by jumping to a position with legs spread apart and hands touching overhead, and then back to the original position. In a gymnasium, a physical training instructor usually calls out the rhythm for this exercise. At the outset, the instructor's rhythm is slow and as the exercise progresses, the beat is gradually increased. The performer is evaluated by his ability to keep up with the changing rhythm.
Skip rope exercise is also beneficial but in this instance the performer sets his own rhythm. In skip rope, the performer holds the ends of a rope in his hands and creates a hoop by centrifical force which he rotates in a circular orbit about his body. To avoid intercepting the rotating hoop, the performer must leap upwardly just before the hoop reaches his feet and he must coordinate the rate of hoop rotation with his jumps. Once this coordination is lost, the hoop strikes the feet and collapses.
In other forms of conditioning exercise such as push-ups, it is not the feet which are periodically raised about the ground, but the torso or some other part of the body. Thus most physical training exercises involve the raising of a body part above the ground at a rhythmic rate controlled by an instructor or by the performer himself.
When a performer wishes to exercise by himself at home, he is often faced with a practical situation which militates against effective conditioning. Thus in the case of skip rope exercises, the home environment may be such that there is insufficient room for a rotating rope hoop. Moreover, the rope constitutes a hazard in that it may intercept and damage fragile articles.
But even in the case of exercises that require no rope or other equipment, in the absence of a trainer or instructor the exerciser must set up the rhythm and also make his own evaluation. This does not lead to satisfactory results, for a self-regulating performer lacks the necessary objectivity for effective conditioning. It is only by independent evaluation that a performer can be motivated to improve his performance.